Mayors from 84 NSW councils banded together with NSW Farmers and the NSW Police Association to lobby for a parliamentary inquiry on regional and rural crime, but it’s looking as though their calls won’t be answered anytime soon. 

The Country Mayors Association led the push for the inquiry, announcing their damning research on rural crime during a press conference on 20 October, 2023. 

In senate estimates this month, however, Minister for Police Yasmin Catley said she won’t be making any inquiry announcements in the near future. 

“There’s been a suggestion in the last five weeks that there be five parliamentary inquiries for police,” Minister Catley said. 

“Every time we ask for a parliamentary inquiry, we are taking more police away from doing their job, which is out in the community, because we’ve got them in here in the New South Wales Parliament in front of an inquiry…I just want people to factor that in.”

Minister Catley referenced the 1,500 deficit of police in NSW, of which the government attempted to bridge by introducing paid training earlier this month. 

Shadow Minister for Police Paul Toole said that an inquiry should be conducted. 

“An inquiry would give us the answers we need to questions like what the core issues are and what our hardworking police need to combat this crime,” Mr Toole said.  

“This situation cannot go on, we can’t have residents afraid to step out their front door. That’s no way to live, and nobody deserves to feel that way.”

Also attending senate estimates, Police Commissioner Karen Webb said that the issue is more complex than needing more police, referencing social media trends that have led to crime spikes. 

“I think it is a wider societal problem when we've got young people gloating, skylarking and putting themselves at risk. I think that's a challenge. As I said, we can't arrest our way out of that one.”

Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos added that existing programs and working groups are already in force in problem areas. 

“Early signs are that some of these working groups are starting to break through some of the complexities around information sharing, about approaching the right family groups and engaging with Elders in community when they are Aboriginal First Nations families,” Commissioner Pisanos said.